


Carving

by Abadwriterdecidedingtopracticesometimes



Series: Whumptober 2020 [9]
Category: King Falls AM (Podcast)
Genre: Character Death, Cults, Kidnapping, Major Character Injury, Protective Sammy Stevens, Self-Sacrifice, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-05
Updated: 2020-11-05
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:20:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27399379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Abadwriterdecidedingtopracticesometimes/pseuds/Abadwriterdecidedingtopracticesometimes
Summary: A small cult wants to bring about the end of the world using the book Death by Damnation. They need the heart, the protector and the strength to do that. It doesn't go well for Ben, Lily and Sammy.Whumptober Prompt 9 For the Greater Good -"Take Me Instead|"Run"|Ritual Sacrifice
Relationships: Ben Arnold & Sammy Stevens, Ben Arnold & Sammy Stevens & Lily Wright, Sammy Stevens & Lily Wright
Series: Whumptober 2020 [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1955548
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	Carving

**Author's Note:**

> Is whumbtober over. Yes. Am I planning to sporadically continue to post things following the whumptober prompts. Also yes.

There was a small group that wanted to bring about the end of the world. They planned to do this by forcing the prophecies of a book called death by damnation. Specifically using a certain passage what there attempts at translating came up with. When the protector falls for the others and the strength fails to hold him together, the heart will break opening the doorway.  
This issue originally had been they didn't know who the book was talking about but lucky for them they heart, protector and strength decided to broadcast their status on the radio. So the little group set to work.

\---

Ben was the first to wake up. He found himself leaning against a wall sitting on a concrete floor. He felt a weird weight against his ankle. He opened his eyes to look and found a shackle around his ankle. He followed the chain and found it attached to the wall behind him. He yanks the chain. It hold hard in the wall.  
Ben starts to look around and finds Lily and Sammy leaning against each other across the room. They're both unconscious and have shackles around their ankles. The chains lead to opposite sides of the same wall. Both chains are nearly at their full extension.  
Ben wants to get too them, though he doesn't think his chain is long enough. He stands and feels instantly dizzy. He pauses for a second then begins to walk towards his friends. He reaches the end of his chain less then halfway across the room. Ben ended up sitting on the floor at the full extent of his chain  
"Lily, Sammy, please wake up," neither of them even twitched, and Ben found himself sitting on the floor crying.

\---

Sammy woke up confused. He was sore, there was someone leaning against him, and he could hear crying. Sammy focused on the crying and realized it sounded like Ben. Sammy shot up his eyes opening. Ben was sitting in front of him crying. Sammy feels whoever was leaning on him hit his lap. He looks down just in time to see Lily open her eyes.  
Lily frowns, "what is going on."  
Ben makes a strangled sound, "you're awake!"  
Sammy looks up at Ben and gives him a smile, "sorry if we scared you, but do you know what's happening?"  
"I don't know, I just woke up here, and you two wouldn't wake up, and I couldn't get ti you and," Ben starts to cry again.  
Sammy is confused for a second until he notices the shackle around Ben's ankle, "Hey it's ok, we're going to be fine."  
"Why would someone kidnap us, and why am I separated from you guys," Ben is starting to hyperventilate.  
Sammy is at a loss for words, Lily ends up being the one to speak, "calm down Ben, you panicking isn't going to help, we will figure this out."  
Sammy nods, "yah, we'll be okay "  
Ben starts to bring his breathing even, when the door to the room slams open. All three of them look up to a man standing in a doorway, holding papers in one hand twirling a knife in the other.  
The man steps in and smiles, "could you all go stand by the start out your chains."  
"What the fuck do you have us here for," says Lily, nearing yelling. No one moves.  
The man smiles and starts walking towards her. Lily sits up strait, trying to look big. The man looks her in the eye and slots the knife under Sammy's chin. "I'd suggest you listen to what I say, and don't go pissing me off.  
Sammy locks eyes with Lily and sees her eyes flick down to the knife next to his throat as the she tries to make a plan.  
The man pushes the knife slightly still not breaking skin, "now if you attack me you'll still be chained down here, as I do not have a key, and there's quite a few more people upstairs that will not be happy with you."  
Lily looks at this man for a second before clearly deciding this battle is not worth the danger it puts Sammy in. She slumps slightly but still stands tall as she follows the chain back to its start. Ben is still frozen in place when the man turns to him. The knife is still against Sammy's throat. Ben squeaks and scrambles back to his spot. The man smiles. He pulls the knife away from Sammy's throat, and steps away. Sammy scrambles to his spot on the wall.  
"Good," says the man, "now you can call me M, you all will be staying here for a bit well we do a little project, if you behave you should all leave here reasonably intact. Now first things first, I'm going to start some little spell enhancing ruins, then I'll leave you alone ."  
M twirled the knife and began to walk towards Ben. Ben had pushed himself further against that wall. Sammy could feel his heart rate picking up. He didn't know what to do. He just knew he couldn't let this man hurt Ben.  
"Please don't," said Sammy nearly against his will.  
M turns to Sammy, "now why wouldn't I, he's the best candidate."  
"Please don't hurt him, I'll do anything."  
M paused and taps the hilt of the knife against his chin, "willing does tend to work better. How about this, you carve the ruins into your own skin well enough, and I won't have any reason to do any on him."  
Sammy see's Ben's eyes go wide from where he stands behind Sammy. His eyes look away from M and lock on Sammy's," please, Sammy, don't."  
Sammy just nods, "okay, you just can't touch Ben or Lily."  
M smiles wide, and begins walking towards Sammy. He hands three of the papers to to Sammy, "first one on your left thigh, second on your right, then the third on on your stomach." M pauses looking at the two papers still in his hand, "we'll deal with these ones tomorrow."  
Sammy nods, tuning out Ben and Lily, "alright."  
M still has a smile plastered on his face as he hands Sammy the knife, "don't go doing no paper cuts, needs to be cutting down in your muscle, be done by the time I come back tomorrow." M the walks out if the room and locks the door behind him.  
Sammy slides down the wall until he's sitting on the floor staring at the knife. He hears the sounds of chains dragging against the floor. Sammy looks up to find both Ben and Lily have gotten as close to him as their chains let them. Ben is crying.  
Lily catches Sammy's eyes, "don't make us watch you carve into your skin."  
Sammy hears Ben let out a whine at her wording but he can't let this stop him. He can't let these people hurt Ben when he could do something about it. He lays out one of the designs, roles up his pant leg and starts carving into his skin. He ignores Ben and Lily and refuses to look up at them.

\---

Lily didn't know how long she'd been sitting there but it had felt like hours. Just watching Sammy carving into his skin. He had carved complicated designs into both his legs and now was working on a larger one on his stomach. Ben had been crying and trying to convince Sammy to stop the whole time. Sammy just ignored him.  
Lily had given up trying to stop Sammy and was now just leaning against the wall watching him. A concerning amount of blood was pooling on the floor around Sammy. Lily stayed still but her heart was pounding. She didn't want anyone to see her fear but she didn't know what was going to happen. How to get herself or her friends out. No matter how much she argued with Sammy she would never want him to be in a situation like this.  
She'd zoned out when she heard the knife drop to the floor. She focus back on Sammy who is now looking up at Ben.  
"I'm sorry," says Sammy, "I'm done now."  
Ben just sobs. Lily is worried, Sammy's losing a lot of blood and they won't be able to clean his wounds but at least she can try wrap them, "Sammy, get over here, need to wrap your cuts."  
Sammy looks over to her, and after a second nods. Lily doesn't like how slow his reaction time is. Sammy stands up, wobbling for a second then grimacing. He begins to slowly walk to her, slightly leaning against the wall.  
Sammy sits down on the floor beside her and they sit in silence as lily takes off her shirt and begins to tear strips off of it. She wraps both Sammy thighs but is almost out of fabric for Sammy's stomach. With the way Sammy's shivering she doesn't want to take his shirt. She turns to Ben to find him already in the process of removing his shirt. He tosses it to her and she begins to tear it and wrap Sammy's stomach.  
Once she's done Sammy looks up at her, "I think I need some rest."  
Lily locks eyes with Ben, she's unsure if they should let Sammy go to sleep, it could help but what if he deteriorates. By the look in Ben's eyes he feels the same but Lily doesn't have the heart to stop Sammy when he rests his head on her leg and closes his eyes.

\----

Lily's been watching Sammy sleep and chatting quietly with Ben when the door slams open. She sees Sammy's eyes blink open out of the corner of her eye as Lily watches M enter the room. He walks up to Sammy and Lily twirling a new knife.  
M goes to pull Sammy's shirt and Lily grabs his wrist. M looks up at her unimpressed, "I'd suggest you keep your hands to yourself, I have a whole extra human over there that you couldn't do anything to stop getting killed."  
Lily sees the look in M's eyes, she draws her hand back. Anything she does will just make it worse.  
M lifts Sammy's shirt and cuts away the blood soaked wrappings. He pulled then away sharply as all the dried blood sticks together and pulls away any scabs that had formed. Sammy whimpers. Lily can hear Ben yelling but doesn't have the energy to listen as M traces his finger over the cuts, pushing down harder then he probably needs to. Sammy's whole body is tense, face contorted in a pained look, but he keeps him mouth shut.  
M smiles, "good job, just two more to go." M grabs Sammy's arm and holds it up. Sammy's hand is shaking. "Though I don't think you'll be able to yourself," the man says then looks to Lily.  
"No way in hell," says Lily meeting M's eyes.  
"Well let's make a deal," says M with a too big smile, "you do it I'll bring first aid supplies and food. Sammy does it himself but does it well, we continue how we are currently. Sammy does it himself and I dream it not up to my standards or it's not been done, I slit his throat and restart on the other one."  
Lily feels her eyes go wide. She can't hurt Sammy but he's not going to able to do it himself. She can't loose him.  
Lily's only partially focused as M shoves the knife and papers into he hand and says, "first into his upper arm on the left, second on the right."  
M then walks out of the room. Sammy has sat up and puts his hands on Lily's. She looks up from where she was staring at her hands. Sammy starts talking, "I can do it myself, I'll be fine."  
"No you won't, there's no way you'll be able to carve into your own shoulders, and even if you do, we need those medical supplies."  
Sammy looks at her, "I could run and not let you, I don't want you to have to do this."  
"We all need food Sammy, and do you really want to risk Ben."  
Lily hears Ben squawk at this but keeps her eyes on Sammy.  
"Okay, yah, you can do it."  
Lily knows it's for the best she won this argument but she still has to force herself to get a better grip on the knife. Has to phych herself up for what she has to do next.

\---

Sammy doesn't want to let Lily do this. He know it will hurt her but him getting killed in front of her when she could have done something would hurt her more.  
So he concedes the argument and forces himself to sit still as she prepares.  
Ben catches Sammy's eyes. Ben is crying again.  
"Ben, it's okay."  
"This is not fucking okay."  
"Everything will be fine, we've already been here a while, someone will find us."  
"What if he kills you first."  
"I'm going to be okay, was just a threat that he won't follow threw with."  
"But what if-"  
"We will be fine."  
"But-"  
"We will be fine."  
Ben curls up up. He's still crying. Sammy desperately wants to hold Ben but the chains prevent that.  
Lily must have gained her courage well Ben and Sammy were talking because Sammy feels her grab his arm, and the cold chill of a knife against his skin.  
Sammy hissed as the knife pushed in. Sammy saw Ben's head pop up and lily started to apologize. He brushed of their concern and told them he was fine. He bit his tongue as Lily continued to work.

\---

She couldn't believe she'd done this. She'd cut designs into Sammy. Her hands were covered in blood. Sammy was covered in blood.  
She felt like vomiting. Sammy was trying to talk to her. She couldn't hear them properly. She felt like she was underwater. She couldn't do this right now. She needed to help Sammy. M had come in and brought them supply's. She had a pallet of water bottles, wash cloths, and fabric bandages. She began cleaning Sammy's wounds. Her ears still felt like they were filled with cotton but she needed to do this. In what felt like no time she was done and her hands just hovered in front of her.  
Sammy shoves a sandwich into her hand. She slowly eats it. Then Sammy gets her to curl up with him and at some point she falls asleep.

\---

Lily feels herself wake up. Something is really warm. She shift's slightly and hears Sammy grown. Right, she had hurt Sammy. She needs to check on him. She opens her eyes and finds Sammy still sleeping. She puts her hand on his forehead. He is super warm.  
"Fuck, Sammy," she says shaking him.  
Sammy just kind of grumbles. Ben however wakes up, he looks to Lily, "what's happening."  
"Sammy has a fever."  
Suddenly Ben is all the way awake, "fuck."  
Sammy opens his eyes, but they are glazed and distant. Not really focusing on anything.  
Lily decides to check on the wounds, unwrapping the bandages to find them inflamed with slight pus leaking from them.  
Lily looks up at Ben with tears in her eyes, "Fuck."

\---

Ben sat awake watching Sammy and Lily sleep. Lily had spent the day trying to help Sammy. To cool him down. To clean his wounds. To get him fully aware.  
Sammy had only gotten worse. At some point Sammy had gone from dizzy and confused to unconscious. Nothing Lily did would wake him. All Ben could do was watch.  
Just like all he could do was watch as Sammy carved into himself. Watch as Lily carved into Sammy. He couldn't even touch Sammy as he got more and more disoriented. Ben had tried to convince himself he wouldn't have to just watch Sammy die but as the day wore on an no help came he became less and less sure. He tried to keep himself calm. Lily and Sammy didn't need him panicking. It just left crying. Which he did. A lot.  
After all Lily's attempts she had grown exhausted. She didn't want to sleep but Ben had convinced her that he would keep watch. Tell her is Sammy needed anything. That her staying awake would not help anything.  
So Ben sat and watched. Alone with his thoughts he continued to cry. Sammy had done this for him. Sammy had tortured himself for Ben. Sammy was probably going to die because of him. Ben felt sick but he forced himself to keep watch. He could at least do this for Sammy after all Sammy had done. Through the night Sammy's breathing had gotten slower. Longer and longer between breaths. Ben waited anxiously for the next. Then the next breath didn't come. Ben forced himself to sit there as a lump grew in his throat. Sammy wasn't breathing. Why was the next breath not coming.  
"Lily," Ben nearly yelled.  
Lily wakes up with a start, "wha-"  
"Sammy's not breathing."  
Lily eye's go wide. Her hand goes to Sammy's neck, checking for a pulse. Ben hears her let out a faint, "no," before she starts trying to do CPR.  
Ben watches Lily do CPR on Lily and again there's nothing he can do. He doesn't know how long is passing he just knows he's crying.  
Lily is breathing heavy. Ben can see her getting more tired. Then why collapses down onto Sammy. Hugging him and crying. She saying something but Ben can't hear it. He does the only thing he can do. Ben screams.

\---

In Perdition Woods a scream could be heard echoing as black fire escapes from the devil's doorstep.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry but like I had to. Okay I didn't have to but I wanted to.


End file.
